Noisy Neighbours

One of the first signs of spring is the return of the Oystercatcher which I notice both in the wild and in the street where I live. In the wild they can be found in most pastures alongside the black-tailed godwit and in the street they spend a lot of time on top of the flats on the opposite side of the street.

Due to their plumage and loud call they are clearly present…I see them often in the street flying around in small groups making a lot of noise, at night I can hear them too as I suspect they sleep on top of the flats… Once there was a car alarm going off and there was an oystercatcher on the other side of the street relentlessly answering the alarm!

As a youth, I generally associated this bird with coastal vacations, yet over the years the oystercatcher has ventured further inland in the search for food….I’m always glad to hear their call again when they come back from the coast in March, as far as I’m corcerned they can make as much noise as they want! 🙂